Showgirls (1995)

Nomi, a young drifter, arrives in Las Vegas to become a dancer and soon sets about clawing and pushing her way to become the top of the Vegas showgirls.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven (as Jan Jansen)

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas

Stars:

Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Nomi Malone
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Zack Carey
Gina Gershon	...	Cristal Connors
Glenn Plummer	...	James Smith
Robert Davi	...	Al Torres
Alan Rachins	...	Tony Moss
Gina Ravera	...	Molly Abrams
Lin Tucci	...	Henrietta 'Mama' Bazoom
Greg Travis	...	Phil Newkirk
Al Ruscio	...	Mr. Karlman
Patrick Bristow	...	Marty Jacobsen
William Shockley	...	Andrew Carver
Bobbie Phillips	...	Dee
Dewey Weber	...	Jeff
Rena Riffel	...	Penny / Hope

Storyline

All alone in the world, Nomi Malone, making her way to Las Vegas, is determined to make a name as a dancer while putting her unspoken past behind her. Her tough, streetwise veneer is not as infallible as she would like, she, as she arrives in Vegas, becoming more cautious in the way she approaches strangers who seem willing to help her purely out of the goodness of their heart. Her talent and connections in combination are only able to get her a job at the Cheetah Club, a strip joint. Her first true friend in Vegas, Molly Abrams, works as the costumer for Goddess, the topless production at the Stardust. It is through Molly that Nomi catches the eye of Goddess' headliner, Cristal Connors. Nomi has a love/hate feeling toward Cristal: she doesn't much like her but wants to become her. Being at the Stardust, Nomi also catches the eye of Cristal's boyfriend, Zack Carey, Stardust's entertainment director. Through these contacts, Nomi is presented opportunity after opportunity to be part of ...

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | lap dancing | female nudity | striptease | showgirl | 

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Taglines:

Leave Your Inhibitions At The Door

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kyle MacLachlan denied rumours that he walked out of the premiere - "I sat there and suffered for the whole two hours".

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Goofs

When Nomi strips for the first time, she is wearing a laced-up shoe. When she storms off the stage, she is wearing a Mary Jane type of shoe.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeff: Hop in, pard!
Nomi Malone: Where are you going?
Jeff: Vegas! Come on! This is your lucky day!

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Alternate Versions

When the film aired on VH1, any nudity especially during the stage performances and sex scenes, were digitally painted over to match skin tones or previous articles of clothing that covered those areas. The heavily altered VH1 broadcast version credits "Jan Jansen" as director.

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Connections

Referenced in Looking: Looking for Results (2015)

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Soundtracks

New Skin
Written by Siouxsie Sioux
Performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees

User Reviews

Watch with a grain or two of salt at hand

Showgirls follows the exploits (and exploits!) of Nomi (Liz Berkley) who travels to Las Vegas with a dream of becoming a "show-girl" (set your goals high!). She lands a job at a sleazy strip bar and eventually joins a chorus line of a casino show. She befriends the star of the show (Gina Gershon) and her boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan) and it all ends up being a bit of a love triangle. I think the film's makers attempted to create a R rated modern musical - but the problem is that the music is cruddy, the choreography cheesy (but I love the "arm-flick" move) and the acting flaky. It's hard to understand the motivations of the main character - she is just so spontaneous and out-of-control - it's hard to relate to her. Also - the sex is just so trashy and unsexy - it gives Demi Moore in Striptease a run for her money in terms of film unsexyness. But - this is a movie that you need to watch with a grain of salt. Don't take it too seriously - think of it as a musical comedy... and you might have a good time.

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Showgirls

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,112,627, 24 September 1995

Gross USA:

$20,350,754

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,350,754

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Chargeurs, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 131 min (NC-17)

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1